


How to Charm a Winchester

by Bookaholic27



Category: Charmed (TV 1998), Supernatural
Genre: Castiel & Sam Winchester Friendship, Castiel Watches Netflix (Supernatural), Castiel Watches Television (Supernatural), Castiel and Dean Winchester Use Their Words, Charmed is a TV Show, Domesticity in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Episode: s15e06 Golden Time, Fluff, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post-Episode: s15e13 Destiny's Child, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sort Of, Watching Charmed, well its a start
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25392037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookaholic27/pseuds/Bookaholic27
Summary: Following the events of the Rupture, Castiel leaves Dean and suddenly has a lot of spare time on his hands. Stewing in his regrets, he finds a certain show about witches on his Netflix queue. Once he returns to the Winchesters to help in the fight against God, he slowly spreads Charmed around the Bunker like a fatal disease. Dean tries to resist. Really he does.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Piper Halliwell/Leo Wyatt (mentioned)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	How to Charm a Winchester

**Author's Note:**

> So I was talking to a friend about the similarities between Charmed and Supernatural, and this little one-shot was born. For the Destiel shippers out there, this is more pre-relationship if anything. Cas is aware of his feelings, but Dean's are about as allusive as canon.

Maybe it’s the clawing sensation of loss that’s stalked him since Jack died. Maybe it’s the knowledge that the people closest to him no longer care enough to give him the benefit of doubt. Perhaps they never did. The apathy that Castiel remembers in Dean’s eyes is like a blight on his memory, reminding him that the Winchesters will always choose each other - the world and even Castiel be damned.

Maybe it’s his phone, which Castiel has placed on mute, and yet it still buzzes with Sam’s unanswered voicemails.

Whatever it is, he can’t take much more introspection.

He sits on the lumpy couch of his rented cabin and casts a furtive glance at the fishing rod he’d bought from the local bait shop. It’s a way to pass the time. A distraction, which is something he thoroughly needs right now.

He notices the time and looks away. Unfortunately, fishing in the middle of the night is considered ‘odd’ and ‘suspicious’ by most humans.

In lieu of much else, he turns on the television and logs into his Netflix account. It’s Sam and Dean’s account, really, and he should get himself a new one. He doesn’t need Dean to see what he’s watching. He doesn’t need Dean, period.

The continue watching bar is the first thing he sees and he quickly scrolls past. He’d been viewing A Series of Unfortunate Events with Jack. It doesn’t feel right to continue without him.

It’s the first choice on the recommended list. Netflix assures him that there is a ninety-eight percent chance he will enjoy it. He likes those odds and so he clicks play.

The show is called Charmed.

It is about witches, Castiel learns. Three sisters who inherit special abilities and something called ‘the power of three.’ He should probably stop watching, but it’s not as if he has anything better to do. Besides, despite their chosen vocation, the Halliwells are quite likeable.

Prue has a rough exterior, but deep down she cares so intensely. Forced into a role of responsibility for her siblings far too young, she feels as if she has no choice but to keep up the mask.

Phoebe is wild but intelligent, seeking to help others often with little thought for herself. She is confident and courageous, if not a little naive.

Piper is wise beyond her years. A mediator who yearns for peace in her family. Castiel can relate. He too would love it if those he cares about would just calm down and listen. 

Even Andy, the clueless cop who holds affections for Prue, is an enjoyable presence on the show.

He “binges” on. Over time, it becomes apparent that the sisters will, more often than not, act like hunters rather than witches. It’s nice to see. Siblings, bonded together by more than blood, saving people and hunting things (demons to be exact).

Not that they remind him of anyone. They don’t.

Admittedly, he resents Prue for a while. She has no right to judge Phoebe the way she does as if there is not even a hope for redemption. Still, as the two grow closer, Prue’s anger loses its edge and the resentment fades. Castiel refuses to put a name to the odd bout of envy that replaces it.

Then Leo is introduced. At first, Castiel thinks very little of the handyman. And then of course he reveals himself to be a White Lighter, a poorly disguised analog to an angel, and now Castiel is hooked. Because Leo is tasked with protecting the Halliwells, yet he finds himself distracted from his mission. Drawn in by the allure of their bond with one another, by sympathy and kinship. By love. 

He finishes all of season 1 not long after the sun rises, and makes quick work of season 2.  
Somewhere early into season 3, he decides it's time to take a break. Despite his lack of a need for rest or sustenance, he’s found that watching TV for hours on end can often result in the opposite of his intended goal to relieve tension.

Still, his mind is buzzing from where he left off: with Piper and Leo forced apart thanks to The Powers that Be. It’s extremely upsetting.

He contemplates going fishing again. When he finds that he's out of bait, he throws on his trenchcoat and gets ready to head out to the store, already planning more Netflix after his time by the lake.

-

He doesn’t get to continue the story of the Halliwells. At least, not so soon. His bait trip results in the introduction of a missing persons case, a worried mother, a very uncomfortable phone call with Dean, and a realization.

Perhaps Dean will never forgive him for his perceived slight. Castiel is self aware enough to know where his guilt should lie, and he is not at fault for Mary’s death.

If things were different, had Chuck not decided to continue his vendetta against the brothers, Castiel might have let ‘sleeping dogs lie.’ He knew that Dean could never feel as Castiel did, and he’d been fine with that. Truly, he had. But if even the small strand of trust and brotherly affection he would sometimes deign to send his way was gone...Castiel wasn’t going to torture himself any longer.

But now the threat is back and whatever Dean believes, Castiel can’t keep running. Jack is gone, and he will not allow the Winchesters to follow him to the grave. It doesn’t matter if they trust him or not, love him or not. He will fight for them.

It’s time to get back in the game.

And if he sometimes thinks about Leo and wonders how he managed to get Piper to believe in him...well that’s his prerogative.

-

It’s a while before Castiel can continue watching. Between dealing with Sam’s wound, trips to Purgatory, and Jack’s resurrection, there is very little time for breaks.

Not that he can complain. Things are good. Jack is back and Kelly’s dreams for her son are slowly coming to fruition. Dean and he have reconciled, and have returned to that familiar status quo they’ve known so long. 

Now until Billie returns to inform them of their next move against Chuck, the residents of the bunker are in the unusual possession of free time.

Castiel is happy (not too happy of course, or else the Empty might think it’s time to collect on their deal). So when he sits down in Dean’s television room (much like Sam, he refuses to refer to it as the ‘Dean Cave’), he finds that it is with no reservations that he ventures to Netflix and clicks on Charmed Season 3, Episode 4: All Halliwell's Eve.

Such clever names.

He watches for a while before Sam and Dean enter the room, two beers in hand.

“Hey Cas,” says Sam, looking at the screen, “Whatcha watching?”

Castiel looks up at the younger Winchester and smiles softly.

“It’s a television program called Charmed. It’s very good.”

Dean plops down next to him on the couch.

“Charmed? Yeah I heard about that show. It’s the witchy thing, right? Came out in the nineties.”

Castiel rolls his eyes. “It’s more than just a witchy thing, Dean. It’s about three sisters and their efforts to save the world.”

“It’s a chick flick,” Dean says. “C’mon dude. You don’t wanna watch that stuff.”

Sam pops the top off of his drink. “I gotta admit, it doesn’t seem like your kind of show, Cas. I figured you’d be more into, like, nature documentaries.”

“Nature documentaries are silly and unrealistic,” Castiel answers him. “Where is the voice coming from? Why is it always male? If the point is to convey information, why do they consistently offer sweeping generalizations and flawed data?”

Dean coughs. “Okay, buddy. Hey have I shown you Walker Texas Ranger yet? We should watch that.”

He makes a grab for the remote. Castiel sighs. He can watch Charmed later.

-

He’s on season five and Leo and Piper have a son before Sam catches him again. This time, he’s alone.

Dean and Jack are off on a ‘bonding retreat.’ Sam’s idea. Ever since Jack got his soul back, the three of them have been in an odd sort of limbo. The Winchester’s knew Jack felt guilty, and they wanted to forgive him, but those wishes were all tangled up in feelings of loss and regret. Thus, bonding retreats. 

Mostly, it just involved Jack going somewhere alone with Sam or Dean. It could be as simple as a milk run. Go for a drive, buy groceries, play pool at the bar. The only rule was that he could only be with one brother at a time. Sam thought it would help Jack to not feel ganged up upon.

Castiel has just reached the finale of the season on his laptop when Sam wanders in. He has a thick tome of a book in his hands and his brows are furrowed with concentration.

“Hey Cas. I was just looking through this Enochian spell book and I was wondering if you could help me out. The word for fire...that’s pronounced Mal-prig, right?”

“M’Ahl-prug,” Castiel says without looking up.

“Thanks,” Sam replies. 

He’s quiet for a while, to the point where if Castiel could not clearly sense his presence, he might have assumed Sam had left. 

Instead, he steps around the left of Castiel’s mattress and peers curiously at the laptop screen where Paige has recently been turned to stone.

“That’s Charmed, right?” Sam asks almost hesitantly. “You’ve been really into it lately.”

Castiel nods, “It has a surprising amount of depth and realism.”

“Who's that guy?” he asks.

“That’s Chris. He’s a time traveling whitelighter. He just showed up.”

“Whitelighter?”

“They’re like angels, but they were born as exceedingly virtuous humans. They work for a celestial organization known as The Powers that Be.”

Sam snorts. “They sound pretentious.”

“They are very pretentious.”

As they watch, Piper calls for Leo who appears in a burst of blue energy.

Sam raises an eyebrow. “And that’s…”

“Leo. He’s another Whitelighter.”

Upon Leo and Piper’s discussion about marriage counseling, Sam has many questions.

“So this Leo guy...he’s basically an angel. And he’s married to...Piper. The oldest sister.”

“Correct,” Castiel affirms.

“Hmm.”

Castiel looks up at him. Sam has the oddest expression on his face.

“What?” he asks, “What is it?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Sam appears to be trying and failing to keep his expression blank.

Castiel looks at him suspiciously for a moment longer, but Sam is suddenly very focused on the show. He shrugs it off, deciding to follow his lead.

They watch for a while, delving into season six where Piper and Leo’s relationship takes a sharp negative turn. This is extremely frustrating.

“How can she not see that they’re good together?” Castiel complains to both Sam and the television that they’d eventually migrated to.

Sam munches on some lightly buttered popcorn. “I think this ones a team effort, Cas. Leo’s about as much to blame for the relationship issues as Piper. Well, him and the Not-Angels.”

Castiel has to agree, but he finds that it doesn’t make him feel much better. The forces keeping them apart are wide and varied - not so easy to surmount. He tries to pinpoint what’s bothering him about this couple.

“It’s just repetitive. They get together, and then they fight, or the Whitelighters demand that he leave her, or he loses his powers and something goes wrong. There’s always something tearing them apart.”

Sam shrugs. “That’s television for you. People can’t just be happy. If a couple gets together too early in the plot, something bad has to happen. It keeps you invested.”

“Well I’m invested,” Castiel practically growls. 

Sam chuckles, “I can tell.”

It occurs to Castiel that he and Sam don’t often watch TV together. Usually he does this sort of thing with Jack, or Dean gets excited about some movie Castiel has never seen, and really when he gets like that - filled with a rare almost youthful joy which lights up his face and soul - how can Castiel turn him down?

Sometimes Sam joins them, sometimes he doesn’t. They rarely spend time alone. It’s nice. He likes spending time with Sam.

All of a sudden, Sam chokes. “Chris is who’s son now??!”

Charmed is a very good show.

-

When Dean and Jack come barging in, they’ve just reached an episode where Chris must attempt to manipulate his future parents into conceiving him.

Sam is trying to explain to Castiel what he thinks Chris should do.

“They need to communicate. Nine times out of ten, that’s the problem. If Chris can just, I dunno, facilitate that somehow…”

Sam is making weird eyes at Castiel again, emphasizing certain words like they have a double meaning.

He’s unable to ponder exactly what this could be, however, when Dean walks in and glances between the screen and his brother.

“You too, Sammy?”

Sam raises his arms defensively, “Hey, it actually is pretty good. Paige is cool.”

Dean groans, which Castiel thinks is uncalled for.

“What show is it?” asks Jack curiously.

Dean raises his palm. “Oh no. You are not getting anywhere near that lovey dovey soap opera crap until you watch the good stuff first. We need to refine your palate, Jack.”

Sam crosses his arms at that. “Dean. Two words. Dr. Sexy.”

Dean’s stutters out something about how his medically inclined sex show is different, and they all pretend to agree with him.

They end up pausing the show to watch a movie of Jack’s choosing, but that’s ok. A few days later, Castiel gets Jack to watch the first episode. He seems sufficiently intrigued.

-

Sam eventually decides to join in with Jack in his viewing of the earlier seasons. Meanwhile, Castiel shoots straight through to the start of season eight. 

Sometimes, the three of them will discuss episodes together. Jack will bring up theories for what is to come, and Sam might even compare the witchcraft they see on the show to what they know of reality.

“Whoever wrote this thing did some pretty thorough research,” Sam tells him one day. “If they aren’t witches themselves, I feel like odds are they know one.”

Dean rolls his eyes through what he calls their ‘girl time.’

“Dean, just watch an episode,” Sam says at one point. “At least you’ll know what we’re talking about. You made me do that plenty of times when we were kids.”

Dean shakes his head stubbornly. “Oh no. Now this is just on principle. Ain’t happening.”

Castiel sips at some coffee at the map table. “Whatever you say Dean. You know, you can be as neurotic as Chris sometimes.”

Sam laughs. “You’re right, Cas. He’s such a Chris.”

Dean glares daggers between the two of them.

-

It’s not long before Sam’s musings on the show are proven surprisingly correct.

They’re on a hunt when Rowena shows up. Apparently, some of the souls from the destroyed alternate universes have been trickling into this one—

“—And cluttering up my kingdom,” Rowena rants. “Now normally I wouldn’t exactly mind more subjects, but there’s apparently a significant group of demons out for my head and now I hear tell that they’re recruiting those parallel dimension ruffians.”

“Ok, Rowena we hear you,” says Sam, “But what can we even do about it? It’s not like we can send them back where they came from.”

They end up assisting her in taking out the ringleader of the rebellion. It isn’t difficult, but it does require all of them in the end.

Afterward, Jack (see: Dean, nudging Jack) convinces them all to get ice cream.

Jack is licking the sprinkles off of his chocolate vanilla swirl when he says, “Is it just me, or did that demon remind you guys of Cole?”

Dean looks at him. “Cole, like ex-demon hunter Cole?”

Sam coughs. “Uh no, Dean. I think he means Phoebe’s Cole. And yeah, I saw it too.”

Rowena smiles magnanimously. “Oh! So you’ve delved into Charmed, have you? I was wondering how long it would take you to find it, Samuel.”

Castiel tilts his head. “You watch Charmed?”

Dean makes a hacking noise with the back of his throat. “I’m not even surprised anymore.”

Rowena gracefully ignores him. “Why watch it? My dear angel, I helped write it! Constance and Aaron, such sweet darlings.”

They talk about it for a while. Sam enthuses about how ‘he’d known he recognized those sigils’ and Dean pouts into his double fudge sundae. 

Castiel does not find it cute. He does not. 

-

It’s late at night when he hears them talking quietly in the bunker kitchen. Despite the low tenor, their voices still echo into the long hallway as Castiel strolls past.

He almost makes his presence known, not wanting to eavesdrop, when Dean says—

“Okay seriously, how can they just kill off Prue like that? Like she was one of the main three. You don’t axe a main character. It’s stupid.”

“Uh, Dean. Have you seen Game of Thrones?” counters Sam.

“Ok, but that’s what’s expected for that show. It’s the genre. Charmed is all about the power of hope and sibling love and all that jazz.”

“And monsters. And demons.”

“They didn’t even try to bring her back!”

“You like it.” There is a smile in Sam’s voice.

“I...it’s not terrible. Okay?”

There is muffled laughter.

“I can’t believe we actually peer pressured you into watching it.”

“What, are we five? You didn’t peer pressure me, Sam. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

“Oh and I’m sure it has nothing to do with how much time me and Jack have been spending with your whitelighter.”

“He’s not my—shut up, you bitch.”

“Just saying it like it is, jerk.”

There is a brief silence.

Dean breaks first. “Okay seriously, is it just me or is it crazy relatable?”

“I know, right?” Sam replies.

“Rowena’s besties definitely read our books.”

“Charmed came out in the nineties, Dean.”

They both go quiet again. Castiel imagines them staring at each other in building horror.

“Chuck was a fan.”

Neither of them talk for a while after that sobering thought. 

Again, Castiel considers approaching them before his placement in the dark hallway can become any creepier. He’s pleased that Dean has started watching Charmed. He doesn’t see why he feels the need to hide it.

He edges forward enough to see the brothers sitting at the kitchen table. There’s a laptop in front of Dean with foldable headphones in the jack. He can’t see the screen, but he spots a bowl of some kind of snack to Dean left.

Ah. That explains his presence in the kitchen so late. Dean is surprisingly touchy about crumbs in his room.

Before he can think to make enough noise to announce his presence, Sam speaks again. For some reason, it freezes Castiel in his tracks.

“You know Cas ships Leo and Piper, big time.”

“He did not use the word ‘ship.’”

“Well, no. You know Cas. But the sentiment’s there.”

Neither man has noticed him yet, but Castiel sees Sam bite his lip.

“Do...you like them together?”

“...Yeah, sure.”

“Sure?”

Dean shrugs. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. They’re cool. Digging the whole forbidden love angle. But Leo’s kinda...bleh, you know?”

“He’s bleh.” Sam repeats dubiously.

Castiel feels very little shame as he steps a little further back into the shadows.

“Yeah,” Dean goes on, oblivious to the storm of...some kind of emotion running through Castiel at his words. “He’s such a, I dunno, Boy Scout. It’d help if he had more personality, you know? Like if he sassed Piper or said weird nerdy shit all the time. Or if he had more kickass battle scenes. Like, he just swoops into her life, right? And he’s supposed to be her guardian angel, but he’s like any guy she could meet on the street. He’s just a dude from the forties.”

“So you’re saying he’s too human,” offers Sam.

“I’m saying he’s too nice. Too chill. Too—”

“Not Cas?” asks Sam with some humor, and Castiel nearly exposes his position with the way he stumbles back.

Dean waits a long, excruciating moment before he responds in a soft voice.

“Not Cas.”

-

The next morning is uneventful. Neither Sam nor Dean allude to their late night conversation, and Dean makes no mention of having seen the show. Castiel figures he should play along.

Dean’s makes waffles and bacon for everyone, and Sam counters with a health smoothie that only him and Jack will drink.

Castiel wonders again what caused Dean to watch the episodes in secret. Was he envious, as Sam suggested, that the three of them had been spending so much time together? Perhaps it was something else.

He remembers how he’d felt as Dean started to trash Leo, and how those feelings shifted into something far more pleasant as he’d gone on.

Suddenly, a large part of him wants to give that back to Dean somehow, even if he cannot know it happened.

He casts a furtive glance at the elder Winchester, spatula in hand. He knows what to do.

“Sam?” he begins. Sam looks up at him from the Kansas newspaper he’s started to read. “I’ve been thinking about Charmed.”

“Not this again,” Dean groans.

“About Piper, more specifically,” Castiel goes on, “I have a few problems with her characterization.”

-

Later on, the smile he sees Dean trying to hide lasts for the entire day, and Castiel thinks that could be enough.


End file.
